Non-reclosable closure

ABSTRACT

A two piece closure consisting of an inner snap-on cap and an outer shell adapted to prevent re-use of the closure after initial opening is disclosed.

11 11 Muted States atent 1 1111 3,739,999 Stugnitto 1 May 29, 1973 54 NON-JRECLOSABLE CLOSURE 1,609,453 12/1926 Atwood ..215/83 3,072,276 l/l963 Nichols.... ....2l5/9 UX Inventor: Frank Vincent Stagnitm, 6 Freeman 3,628,679 12 1971 1411116111.... ..215 9 Avenue, Denville, NJ. 3,469,725 9/1969 Turner ....21s/9 2,964,206 12/ l 960 Everett ..215/9 Flledr J y 8, 1971 3,630,404 12 1971 Guala ..215/41 x [21] App]. No.: 160,856

Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton Attorney-Samuel L. Welt, Bernard S. Leon, William [52] US. CL... ..215/41, 215/38 R 615g) et I [51] lint. Cl. ..B65dl 41/18 [58] 1 16111 61 Search ..215/9, 14, as R, ABSTRACT 215/45, 8 41 A two piece closure consisting of an inner snap-0n cap and an outer shell adapted to prevent re-use of the [56] References Cited closure after initial opening is disclosed.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 2,713,953 7/1955 Jewell ..215/41 X l l l 26 m l non-cits or. i l

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to bottle caps, and more particularly to the provision of a cap assembly consisting of an inner snap-on cap and an outer shell adapted to prevent re-use of the closure. Once the outer shell is applied to the container, it is locked in place and cannot be removed without destruction of the locking mechanism. Accordingly, the closure is especially advantageous for use with bottles containing products in single application quantities, i.e., single application preparations of cosmetic products, single dosage unit forms for pharmaceutical products and the like. The non-reclosable closure is of special advantage since the closure cannot be removed from an empty bottle, the bottle refilled, and the closure replaced.

There are, of course, a variety of snapon closures designed for use with most forms of rigid containers. However, these closures are usually designed specifically for repeated use, i.e., as a closure on a container that will be opened a number of times before the product it contains is consumed. The typical non-reusable closures now in commercial use include a valve casing entering the mouth of the bottle and having a rim overlying the end of the bottle, a chamber which engages the rim of the casing, and a gasket sealed on the end of the bottle around the rim. The closure is held in place by means of a metal ferrule. See, for instance, U. S. Pat. No. 2,497,599, issued Feb. 14, 1950.

Although this type of closure is effective, the cost of the metal ferrule and the machine and labor charge for application of the closure is substantial and is an important item in the cost of the closure. The present invention is accordingly directed to the provision of a novel closure for bottles which afiords all the advantages of known non-reusable closures while being less expensive to produce and apply, appearing more attractive and finished when applied, an important feature when the closure is used for commercial items sold to the public, and being easy to remove.

DESCTION OF THE lNVENTION The present invention comprises a non-reclosable closure assembly for use with a container, such as a bottle having a cylindrical filler neck which is provided with a mouth. The closure provides a unique feature for preventing its re-use following initial application to the container. The closure assembly is constructed in two parts; a cap means for covering the mouth of the container having an extension means extending therefrom; and a shell means adapted to be applied over and lock the cap means preventing passage of the cap means through the shell means after initial application to the container.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the closure assembly consists of a snap-on cap to cover the container mouth and an outer shell, which shell can be colored, decorated, etc. to enhance the attractiveness of the assembly. The snap-on cap and the outer shell are made of a molded plastic material such as a synthetic resin. To seal the container, the cap alone is first snapped onto the container. The exterior of the snap-on cap includes a flange or another form of protrusion to engage the second part of the closure, the outer shell. The shell is placed over the cap after the cap has been applied to seal the container. The internal configuration of the outer shell incorporates a rib or other means for interfering with the flange or protrusion of the snap-on cap. The internal protrusion orssssssssss rib of the outer shell is chamfered to allow it to be forced past the flange or protrusion of the snapcap and look under it to form the closure assembly. After application of the closure, removal of the mbly by either a pulling-up action or a pushing action which will have a lever type efieet will cause the rib or protrusion inside the shell to catch under the flange of the snap-cap and prevent its passage through the shell. Consequently, the snap-cap will be pulled ofi the container together with the shell. One unique feature of the closure which renders it non-reclosable is the headroom within the top portion of the shell which keeps the snap-cap loosely confined and prevents the user from again being able to press the cap onto the lip of the container. The non-reclosable feature is accomplished by designing the outer shell so that the distance between the internal rib and the top of the shell is greater than the distance between the internal rib and the bottom of the shell which rests upon the shoulder of the container when the closure is assembled. By so designing the shell, the snap-cap, which after removal of the closure is trapped in the headroom of the shell between the internal rib and the top of the shell, cannot be snapped back onto the container by reinserting the neck of the container into the outer shell.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a vertical plan view of a portion of a bottle provided with a closure assembly embodying the improvements of the present invention, showing a broken away section about the closure area with the closure being shown in closed position and locked to the bottle;

FIG. 2 is a similar view with a broken away section about the closure assembly showing the closure after initial opening.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the closure assembly of the present invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral ll, comprises a snapon cap 12 and an outer shell 18, the snap-on cap and the outer shell being indicated generally by their respective reference numerals. The closure assembly 11 is designed to close a bottle 16 having a cylindrical filler neck M, which is provided with a peripherally extending lip 13 and a shoulder 15.

The snap-on cap 12 comprises a sealing disc portion 21, a portion 22 arranged to snap down over the bottle lip 13 and close the bottle mouth 23 of the filler neck 114i, and a peripherally extending flange 117.

The outer shell 1% contains an internal radially extending rib l9. As is apparent in FIG. 1, the distance 11 from the top M of the outer shell 118 to the top 25 of the rib 119 is greater than the distance m from the bottom 26 of the rib 19 to the bottom of the outer shell which rests upon the shoulder 15 of the bottle 16.

When the closure assembly is in the closed position and locked to the bottle as shown in FIG. 11, the snap-on cap 112 seals the bottle 16 by portion 22 snapping down over the bottle lip 13. The outer shell 11% is applied by forcing it down over the snap-on cap 12 so that the intemal rib 19 of the shell catches under the flange 17 of the snap-on cap.

When the closure assembly 11 is initially removed from the bottle 16, as shown in FIG. 2, the rib 19 of the outer shell 18 interferes with the flange 17 of the snapon cap 12 so that the cap is removed at the same time the outer shell is pulled or pushed off the bottle. The rib l9 captures the snap-on cap 12 in the headroom 20 of the outer shell preventing its removal from the outer shell after initial removal of the closure assembly. Since the distance 1 is greater than the distance m, it is not possible to reinsert the neck of the bottle into the outer shell after initial removal to again press the snap-on cap over the bottle lip to reseal the bottle. Thus, after initial removal of the closure, it is non-reclosable.

While there have been discussed above the principles of this invention in conjunction with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A non-reclosable closure assembly for a mouthed bottle of the type having a cylindrical filler neck provided at the top with a peripherally extending lip comprising: a snap-on cap means having a flange means extending from said cap means; and an outer shell means having an internal radially extending rib means for lockably receiving said flange means, said rib means being chamfered to permit application of the outer shell means over the snap-on cap means, wherein the outer shell means is constructed so that the distance between the top of said outer shell means and said rib means is greater than the distance between said rib means and the bottom of said outer shell means.

2. A non-reclosable closure assembly for a bottle of the type having a cylindrical filler neck which is provided with a mouth comprising: cap means for covering said mouth, said cap means having extension means extending therefrom, and shell means applied over said cap means, having attachment means for lockably receiving said extension means while maintaining the cap means covering said bottle mouth wherein in the shell means the distance between the top of the shell means and the attachment means is greater than the distance between said attachment means and the bottom of the shell means so that the shell means is adapted to permit application of the shell means over the cap means covering the bottle mouth but to prevent passage of the cap means through the shell means after application of the shell means.

I l I I UNITED STATES PATENT owner QEllFlCATE QEQ'H Patent No. 3,735, 9 Dated y 9, 975

Frank Vincent Stagnitto I all Inventor(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

No Assignee listed I should be Hoffmann-La Roche Inc Signed and sealed this 2nd day of April 197M.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M@FLETCHER,JRw Go MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMWDC 603mm fl' U.5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 O-365-334. 

1. A non-reclosable closure assembly for a mouthed bottle of the type having a cylindrical filler neck provided at the top with a peripherally extending lip comprising: a snap-on cap means having a flange means extending from said cap means; and an outer shell means having an internal radially extending rib means for lockably receiving said flange means, said rib means being chamfered to permit application of the outer shell means over the snap-on cap means, wherein the outer shell means is constructed so that the distance between the top of said outer shell means and said rib means is greater than the distance between said rib means and the bottom of said outer shell means.
 2. A non-reclosable closure assembly for a bottle of the type having a cylindrical filler neck which is provided with a mouth comprising: cap means for covering said mouth, said cap means having extension means extending therefrom, and shell means applied over said cap means, having attachment means for lockably receiving said extension means while maintaining the cap means covering said bottle mouth wherein in the shell means the distance between the top of the shell means and the attachment means is greater than the distance between said attachment means and the bottom of the shell means so that the shell means is adapted to permit application of the shell means over the cap means covering the bottle mouth but to prevent passage of the cap means through the shell means after application of the shell means. 